Robinson: “We Are Getting There.”

Manager Steve Robinson believes his side are getting there in terms of playing his style of football after last night’s defeat to Wigan Athletic.

Michael Jacobs converted a free kick from 25 yards, which is the second game in succession Latics have been beaten by a set piece.

However, in terms of open play, his side has looked solid and Robinson admitted he felt his side had come on leaps and bounds from their first pre-season fixture.

He said: “I think you can see we are getting there, it was lightyears away from the first performance.

“It’s not ideal putting trialists into games because it messes up a bit in terms of the game plan but we are still at that stage where we still need to look at players and build a squad of players.

"I was really pleased tonight and you can start to see what we’re about. The players we have brought in are starting to gel now and the fitness levels are getting better in comparison to the previous games.

"The players know what we are trying to do now. We are a team that wants to be very good out of possession and we are starting to see things happen in the final third of the pitch.

"The pleasing thing is we are starting to create a lot of chances. We got a lot more crosses into the box and the fitness naturally are improving day by day.

"The results are irrelevant at this stage. Peoples emotions run high after you get beat in pre-season but it’s work in progress and we are well aware of that.

“It’s never going to be a finished article because we’ll always be looking at ways to improve the team."

Latics controlled a lot of the game last night and Robinson singled out the defence and midfield for special praise.

“I thought Ryan Flynn and Ollie Banks looked a lot sharper tonight and what Greeny [trialist Paul Green] gives us in terms of experience is the same as what Peter Clarke does for us in the back four, so we know what we are trying to get in and he is the type of player which fits the bill,” admitted the gaffer. “Hopefully we can sort something out with Greeny.

"In terms of the back four, I thought they looked superb tonight. Peter Clarke and Cameron Burgess are starting to get a really good understanding, I thought Josh was good and I think Jamie Reckord has been excellent since he came into the football club.”

Whilst the manager is happy with how his squad is progressing, he is still in the market for more players which will improve his squad.

“I still think we are four players away, possibly more but my budget will not allow me to bring in more,” he said.

"We know what we need, we still need pace up top and a quick man out wide as well. We might have found the midfield that I want and our back four I’m happy with.”